Etsy, iCraft, 1000 Markets venues new and old....

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Well I finally canceled my account at iCraft. Just wasn't the right venue for me, which I realized after my first year on there came and went with no sales despite some good advertising, being on the front page there, etc. But it's a nice little place to find handmade goods and I wish the site well.

Etsy is still my main place to hang out, though sales have slowed, probably due to the economy. Art is one of the first things to go when you're broke - totally understand! I can't buy as much as I'd like either, though I've made a few small splurges :)

Trust me, even if you can't afford that $40 raku bowl you've been eyeing or that $25 print of the cows, you can still enjoy little works of art! Try a cool mug or a colorful ACEO (art card editions and originals - ie they're small little works of art the size of a baseball card) - or hey, even a sparkly piece of jewelry ;) It'll not only make your day a little brighter knowing you got a little something for yourself, but know that you've helped support an artist and made their day brighter too!

While I did close out one venue and am continuing with another, I did decide to check out a new handmade venue called 1000Markets. It's a nice setup, a very clean and modern looking site. For those who don't know, its still in 'preview mode' simply meaning its not officially launched yet as they're still working on a few things and planning for a advertising blitz I believe. But it is up and running for those who want to open a shop, and folks can go ahead and buy there. The only thing so far that I don't like is that no international sellers/buyers can really utilize it - yet. 1000Markets uses Amazon Payments instead of Paypal, and believe it or not Amazon does not have their payment system set up to accept international accounts at this time. However this is in the works, and I suspect it will make many an international seller and buyer happy when they can join in the fun :)

So in the meantime feel free to visit my "old" shop on Etsy http://bijoutery.etsy.com
Or my "new" one on 1000Markets http://bijoutery.1000markets.com
(keep in mind I'm still uploading items to 1000Markets so its kind sad looking, lol, but feel free to buy there and make it happier!)